Arts Plus. Comedy.

This Clinton Mines Humor From Politics

April 24, 1995|By Achy Obejas, Special to the Tribune.

After dismal local showings by high-profile national comics such as Pauly Shore and Margaret Cho, it was something of a relief to encounter Kate Clinton at her sold-out show at the Park West on Sunday night.

Relaxed, stylish, and actually funny, Clinton connected immediately and intimately with her audience and made its members laugh with her wry political observations.

A humorist who began her career years ago in the women's music circuit, Clinton since has been featured on national comedy shows, such as Comedy Central's "Out There," and political round tables, such as CNBC's "Equal Time" with Mary Matalin. If you have to compare her to a heterosexual comic, perhaps she could be called the lesbian Mark Russell, with a little bit of George Carlin thrown in (and, no, she doesn't sing).

She has plenty of quick punchlines, but she's got longer stories too-many of which take delightful and absurd turns through a variety of tangents before coming to their finale. With Clinton, the journey's often as much fun as the destination.

As might be expected, Newt Gingrich and his "Contract on America," Jesse Helms and "the senator with the red Chia on his head" (Strom Thurmond), all provided fodder for Clinton's shtick. But one of her best lines may have been about feminist hero Attorney General Janet Reno. "People ask me all the time, `Is she a lesbian?' " Clinton said. "Well, I don't know, but her hair is."

And that, in many ways, is the beauty at the core of Clinton's comedy, because while it hits all the foreseeable targets, it doesn't let lesbians, lesbian-wannabes or lesbian heroes off the hook. She can talk flannel and tofu with both cynicism and affection.

There is little doubt, however, that Clinton's comedy has turned increasingly political over the years-not necessarily in a feminist sense, but in a mainstream way. Whereas years ago she might have cracked a few about the overly correct policies of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, now her jokes might center on Connie Chung's interview with Gingrich's lesbian sister and the president's ridiculous stance on gays in the military.

It makes sense, though: Since Clinton started doing her bit back in the late '70s/early '80s, gay life in America has been moving out of the margins and into the center.

As far as Clinton's act is concerned, that means she should be able to change two things: One, drop all the overdone jokes about how coming out will kill your parents; and, two, shorten the coming-out bits that are bookends for the show.